


Change and Consequence

by Samnyeong



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Established Relationship, JunHoon - Freeform, M/M, OT13 - Freeform, angst with fluff and happy ending, au where Jun continued his acting career in addition to svt I guess, more friendship based than romance based, supportive!everybody, that's a really long au name, the description makes Jun sound like a playboy but he's not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-08-21 22:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8263193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samnyeong/pseuds/Samnyeong
Summary: In which Junhui attempts to juggle his acting career, SVT schedule, and relationships.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So I had a 17 Project marathon over break, now I'm just... a complete mess.  
> I apologize in advance for the mess ahead.

"That's a wrap!" The director called, much to Junhui's relief as he untangled his arm from the actress's grasp. While he didn't want to be impolite, he believed that it was important to set work and personal relationships apart, especially since he already had "someone at home" who wouldn't appreciate him being handsy with his co-workers.

The usual "Good work today!" phrases were exchanged between both the actors and the production team as Junhui headed out, his manager already waiting for him with the car door open.

Even though they weren't exactly in a rush, the manager practically shoved Junhui inside and locked the doors before the media crowd caught up. Junhui felt bad for ignoring his fans that were probably waiting for him to finish taping outside, but he wasn't allowed to give any "previews" for the time being.

Junhui didn't think that his request to pursue an acting career while remaining in SVT was going to be approved, but the CEO surprisingly encouraged him to do so, and even immediately landed him an audition. But like everybody, his roles started out small, and slowly built up until he's been getting regular film offers.

It felt great being able to resume acting work again, and in a way, it also meant that his fluency in Korean has been acknowledged, as well as his pronunciation. He knew there was still room for improvement, however, and dedicated most of his free time to studying.

Junhui leaned back against the car seat and closed his eyes, finally able to relax for a short while. Before he could fall asleep, however, his phone rang. He picked it up, not even bothering to look at the contact.

"Hello?"

"Yo yo, wassup, famous actor Wen Junhui-ssi?"

"Seungkwannie, shouldn't you be asleep?" Junhui pretended to scold, the corners of his mouth turning up immediately at the energetic voice of his dongsaeng. That was the power of Seungkwan, after all. No matter how tired someone was, just one word with Seungkwan and all their fatigue would just fly out the window. It didn't even have to be a word, it could just be some random noise he made.

"How could we be asleep when you're out working and bringing back dough, yo?" He heard snickering in the background and guessed that Seungkwan probably wasn't making the phone call alone.

Rolling his eyes Junhui sat up slightly in his seat, noticing that the manager was trying to get his attention in the rear-view mirror. As the lights turned red, the manager handed him a piece of paper that appeared to be an updated schedule for him, and a new event had apparently been added. A late night broadcast with the director and cast of a new show, how fun... if he didn't feel so ready to crawl into bed.

"Jun-ssi, are you listening?" Seungkwan's voice quipped.

"Ah, yeah-"

"Ah yeah~" Hansol and Mingyu chimed in noisily from the phone.

"...Are you guys doing a V live by any chance?" Junhui pulled on a fake sullen tone, "Without me? How could you!"

"You work you lose!" Mingyu's voice said as fits of laughter came from the device.

"Anyway, we went to the trouble of calling you, so do you have anything to say to CARATs?" Seungkwan asked, and Junhui could practically picture him pushing the crowd behind him as he took control of the phone.

"Thank you all so much for your support, I know watching a V live without me in it is boring, but thank you for supporting these twelve monkeys." Junhui replied, chuckling as protests were heard in the background.

Before Seungkwan could grudgingly thank Junhui for his "kind words" and hang up, there was a flurry of noise from the other end.

"Okay, okay, let me talk to him-"

"Make sure you eat something before you come back!"

"Call me if it starts raining, I'll go pick you up with an umbrella."

"EAT!"

"Make sure you have a jacket, the air gets chilly at night."

"Don't overwork yourself!"

"We miss you~"

"Junnie-hyung." Minghao's voice rang out clearer than everyone else's, and for some reason, the others' chattering started quieting down the moment he spoke, "You _are_ coming back today, right?"

Junhui felt his throat run dry as he glanced down at his schedule. The broadcast was going to go way past midnight, so the manager may want him to stay at a hotel for the night. If he had to point out a downside of doubling an acting career, it was probably how he could barely hang out with the members outside of work now.

It was moments like these where each of the other twelve's faces would appear individually in Junhui's mind, all looking distanced and estranged. He prayed that his worries wouldn't become reality... The fact that they sounded so cheerful now made Junhui relax slightly, but at the same time, he felt just a twinge of loneliness. Hey, at least they bothered to call him, right?

"Of course." Junhui replied after a long pause, trying to sound as assuring as possible. He wanted to keep to his word, but he knew that when he got back to the dorms, the others would probably be sleeping already.

After saying bye twelve times to each of the members, telling them to sleep early, he hung up the phone. Almost immediately after that, a notification ring sounded, and he looked down to see a text from Jihoon.

**Sorry we couldn't talk much, the others were noisy as usual.**

Junhui smiled, why was he apologizing for something like that? Typical Jihoon.

_Ding._

**Call me when you get home.**  
**Literally. Not on the phone.**

Junhui chuckled and sent over an "Okay!" emoticon sticker, despite knowing that he wouldn't be able to do so. He'll just wake him up in the morning, that way he'd be safe(r) from a grouchy Jihoon, and the latter would be able to get more sleep. Now that promotions for their new album were pretty much done with, Jihoon had a rare chance to relax for a very short while before he had to start working on producing new songs again, so Junhui really hoped that he could get the best out of that.

Even though they rarely got to spend quality time together as a couple, they were careful not to interfere with each other's schedules, and put each other's mental and physical condition above all else.

Well, that didn't mean Junhui wasn't allowed to feel just a little lonely though.

* * *

As expected, by the time Junhui came back it was already nearing 2am. The dorm was silent, and Junhui closed the door as quietly as possible behind him. When he was about to sneak up the stairs, he noticed that the lights were still on in the dining room and quickly headed over there instead, ready to scold whoever was still up.

He was relieved to find no one in there, and the soft snoring coming from upstairs reassured him that the members were indeed resting. Just when he was about to turn off the lights and leave the room, Junhui noticed that there appeared to be something on the table. It was a sticky note.

 _**Junnie-hyung,** _  
_**Good work on the broadcast today, we all watched it together from beginning to end and taped it! ^^)b** _  
_**You looked cool~** _  
_**Jihoon-hyung said so (lol)** _  
_**I had cake with everybody today, it was a fun celebration! We saved some for you in the fridge. Make sure you eat it!** _  
_**-Minghao** _

Junhui blinked down at the note, puzzled. So the members knew about his broadcast and actually stayed up just for that... But why did they have cake? What celebration? He couldn't help feeling dread creeping onto him as the horrible idea that he had forgotten something important dawned on him. Slowly, he turned towards the calendar on the wall hanging near the doorway.

The date had been circled with a red marker and a tiny cake was drawn next to it, along with the number "8".

It was Minghao's birthday.

"Damn it, that's why they had a V live." Junhui cursed, crumpling up the sticky note in his hands out of frustration. The members had never failed to remember his schedule, yet he couldn't even remember a simple thing like this for them.

_**P.S. I knew you wouldn't be able to make it... T.T**_

The last line on the note glared out at him like an accusation, even though he knew Minghao didn't mean it that way. He could picture the members staying up as late as they could, waiting for him to come back so they could celebrate together. He knew that the manager must have had a pretty bad time forcing them to go to bed before then.

Even though it was a feeble attempt on his side, Junhui wanted to make it right somehow. He should at least get Minghao a birthday present. Yes, that's what he'll do.

He knew that not many stores would be open at this point, and his only option was probably the 24/7 convenient stores, but it was better than nothing. He just had to be honest with Minghao and tell him he forgot, and he didn't have to accept his crappy present either. He owed him at least that much.

In his hurry, Junhui accidentally bumped into someone as the sliding doors opened, "Oh, I'm so sorry-"

"Jun? Why are you still out?! Without disguise either..." Junhui looked up to see Jisoo wearing a mask over half of his face with Jihoon standing behind him, wearing a cap in addition to a mask.

The actor slash dancer almost took ten steps backwards from the shock of meeting his group mates here of all places, and now of all times. Not to mention one of them was Jihoon, he definitely wasn't prepared to see him at such close quarters so soon. It felt like it's been weeks since they last faced each other in person instead of having one of them separated by a screen.

"Jihoon, give him your cap."

"No, I'm fine-"

"Don't fight me on this, boy." Jisoo insisted, giving Junhui a playful jab in the chest as he practically shoved the cap onto the younger's head with his free hand, "Now that you're getting bigger as an actor, you have to be more careful about sasaeng fans. I'm grateful to you though, you're attracting more fans to SVT from the show fandom."

"I'm really not that great..." Junhui laughed sheepishly, feeling awkward even though Jisoo was acting normal towards him. "Forget about me, what are you guys doing out here?"

"Midnight snacks." Jisoo and Jihoon replied simultaneously, holding up a plastic bag full of drinks and chips.

"...You two are going to eat all of that by yourselves?"

"You can join us." Jihoon replied, shrugging, "We're just going to be by the stairs."

"Yeah, just come find us when you're done getting whatever you were planning on getting." Jisoo replied cheerfully, patting Junhui on the shoulder.

"Um, sure, I'll do that..." Junhui replied, watching as the two gave him a wave before heading towards the bottom of the stairway.

A convenient store definitely wasn't an ideal place for gift shopping, but he didn't have any other choice. His schedule for the week was packed, he already had to back out of an interview with SVT to attend a filming, and he really hoped these overlaps weren't going to become a regular thing. If he wanted to give his present and show that he hadn't been neglecting their friendship, he could only do it now.

He finally settled on the gift for Minghao and walked towards the stairs where Jisoo and Jihoon were still waiting, already having gone through half of their haul. When they saw him, they immediately burst into laughter and pointed at the stuffed bunny in his hand.

"What is that?"

"That better not be for me."

"What's wrong with it? And it's Minghao's birthday present." Junhui replied, holding the stuffed toy protectively.

"He's not a girl you're trying to woo, why would you get that?"

"Because it's cute!" Junhui insisted helplessly as the two continued to laugh at his poor gift choice.

He felt relieved that they weren't trying to give him shit for coming home late, and it felt easy talking to them even though the topics weren't work related. It was like the distance Junhui had been worried about was never there.

Jisoo excused himself first, saying that he had to go back before Seungkwan and Seokmin noticed, or they would probably wake up the whole building thinking that he had been kidnapped. Leaving Jihoon and Junhui alone on the stairs with still a few more bags to get through.

The air fell silent with just the sound of them crunching on chips. Junhui wanted to ask him how work was going, but that seemed too formal... Maybe they should do something more couple-like, but Jihoon didn't like PDA... not to mention they were still in danger of being recognized out here.

"It's a great night, huh?" Junhui started awkwardly, staring up at the starless sky, practically covered by wires and neon store signs. Not exactly the best view.

Jihoon snorted and leaned back against Junhui's knees, he added more weight when the latter didn't give a reaction, practically pushing Junhui's legs apart and forcing the latter to back-hug him.

Junhui blinked rapidly down at the boy in his arms, nestled comfortably between his legs, sitting just one step below him. "...We're in public, Jihoon."

"So?" Jihoon replied curtly, wrapping Junhui's arms firmer around his own waist and keeping a tight hold on Junhui's hands as they rested against his stomach.

"Well, I, you-"

"I don't care."

"...Okay." Junhui leaned forward and rested his chin on Jihoon's shoulder, nuzzling against his cheek gently.

The silence continued, but this time not out of awkwardness. It was just that... some things are better done than said.

* * *

 As Junhui rested in his waiting room for his scene to start, he watched the live broadcast of SVT's interview on his phone. Watching them having fun as usual made him smile dumbly at the screen as well, nodding in agreement at times and bursting into laughter at others.

"The8, I see you've brought a little friend with you today." The interviewer said, indicating towards the stuffed bunny sitting on Minghao's shoulder.

"Yes, it is a precious gift from a hyung I respect from the bottom of my heart, and a friend that is as close as family to all of us." Minghao replied with his iconic sweet smile.

"It's supposed to represent Junnie-hyung, who unfortunately couldn't make it today..." Seungkwan explained, pointing towards the stuffed toy briefly before turning back in his seat.

"Jun-hyung, are you watching~?" Hansol joked, waving at the camera, the others quickly parroted him, causing Junhui to laugh from the other side of the screen.

"Speaking of Jun, I understand that he has been working as an actor in addition to being a member of SEVENTEEN." The interviewer continued on as the members nodded, "It must be hard on you guys, having a member who is constantly following a different schedule."

"Not at all! Instead of us, I think it's much harder on Jun who has to work twice as hard than all of us everyday. It's a little disappointing that we can't hang out as often, but we support him with all our hearts since he's pursuing something that makes him happy." Seungcheol replied as the members nodded in agreement.

"Just yesterday, we were talking about a new project he's been cast in, and I've never seen him smiling as genuinely as he did then." Jisoo said, placing a hand on Jihoon's shoulder to include him in the "we" subject.

"That is great for Jun and all, but are any of you worried that he may want to pursue this as a full career and leave the group? If I remember correctly, an old trainee that was originally going to debut with you backed out to become an actor, right? Aren't you scared that the same episode is going to happen?" The interviewer prompted. Junhui felt himself stiffen slightly... it was like the interviewer was the very embodiment of his own worries.

The members glanced around at each other, wondering who should take this question when Jihoon piped up, "Unlike the previous trainee member, Jun has experience as a full-time actor. If he thought that being an actor was better suited for him, he would have left already, but the fact that he's still here with us is proof enough that he has no plans of leaving."

"It sounds like you have complete trust in Jun."

"I do." Jihoon replied, then added, " _We_ do."

Junhui breathed a sigh of relief, drawing his thumb over Jihoon's face on the screen lightly. He wanted to kiss him, but he was scared the camera was going to cut to a close-up of another member and he'd be left feeling guilty for the rest of his life.

The interview moved towards a different direction, and Junhui's manager eventually came in to call him onto the set.

That was right. As long as he had the members' trust, he felt that he could get through anything, no matter how hard it was.

* * *

He thought he had it all under control. He really did.

His acting schedule became increasingly heavier and overlapped with his group schedule at almost a regular basis. At this point, he was almost sure that fans were starting to think he wasn't part of the group anymore, and he was grateful that the members would always mention him during events no matter how random it was.

"Oh, speaking of ramyeon, that reminds me of food, which reminds me of Chinese food, heyyyy, do you know who our second Chinese member is? It's none other than rising movie star, Wen Junhui!"

Still, he's already lost count of the number of unfulfilled promises he made to the members. Whether it was dinner with Wonwoo, working out with Mingyu, game night with Hansol, or even his anniversary date with Jihoon. It wasn't fair on them. It wasn't fair on anyone.

Even though they all told him it was fine with a smiling face, it only made him feel worse about himself.

"I'm really sorry, I swear..." Junhui murmured to Jihoon, even though the latter had already gone to bed and he knew he couldn't hear him. He wondered how long Jihoon had tried to wait for him at the restaurant before one of the members (or two) eventually dragged him back home.

"Don't worry about it." The latter had turned to look at him with sleepy eyes, reaching over to touch his face gently with the tips of his fingers, showing a small smile, "Just sleep. You have a long day tomorrow. We can always try again next year..."

"Chan, about the new choreography-"

"Don't worry about it."

"Jisoo-hyung, I'm so sorry about-"

"Don't worry about it."

"Seungcheol-hyung, I-"

"Don't worry about it."

"Jeonghan-hyung-"

"Don't worry about it."

"Seokmin-"

"Don't worry about it."

"S-"

_"Don't worry about it."_

Constantly, they were constantly telling him not worry about them and just focus on his work. How could he? It was getting harder and harder to balance workload and spend quality time with the members. But he didn't want to burden them with his worries, they already had their own to take care of.

At the same time, he didn't want to give up on his acting career either, he was just getting in the groove, and everything just felt so... familiar. Both acting and SVT, he loved both of them.

"Please, God, don't make me choose..."

* * *

"Well? Make up your mind! Is it us, or acting?" Soonyoung yelled, stopping Junhui from leaving the practice room. The group fell silent as Junhui looked back at his unit leader with shock in his eyes. It was true that he hadn't been exactly focused during practices over the past month because of his acting schedule, and in addition to memorizing choreography he also had to memorize his blocking in scripts. He was bound to mess up more than anyone, but he didn't think he'd completely blow it.

In the end, he told Soonyoung to make a choreography that didn't include him since he was pulling the rest of them down, and attempted to excuse himself as he had an audition to get to, leading to the outburst from the choreographer.

"Look, I know it's hard balancing workload, but that doesn't mean you can neglect us. We're a team. If one of us fails, all of us do. I'm not cutting you out, if I do that, it won't be a performance by SVT." Soonyoung continued on, his tone softer now as he approached Junhui, resting a hand gently on the latter's and removing it from the door handle.

"...I'm sorry, but I really don't think I can do this. You're right, I have to choose, huh?" Junhui laughed weakly, running a hand through his hair tiredly.

"Jun, no, I'm sorry, I said that on the spur of the moment-" It was Soonyoung's turn to widen his eyes, realizing the fatality of what he had demanded.

"Between acting and SVT... I don't know, I love you both. But you're right, it is getting hard. It's getting ridiculously hard..." Junhui continued to laugh weakly as tears began to run down his cheeks. He backed away quickly as Jeonghan came forward to wipe his tears, lightly slamming himself against the wall. Slowly, he slid down on the floor and curled himself up into a pathetic sniffling ball.

"I'm really sorry, I honestly don't need you to choose. It's fine." Soonyoung continued, trying desperately to somehow take back what he said earlier.

"No, it's not fine! I really thought I could do it... I've let you all down..."

"Jun, no..." Soonyoung couched down next to Junhui, putting an arm around the shaking actor who had finally been driven into a mental breakdown.

Suddenly, Jihoon rushed over, aggressively ripping Soonyoung's arm away from Junhui and holding his boyfriend's head close to his chest, cradling him in a comforting manner while glaring at Soonyoung accusingly.

"How could you say that to him? We've talked about this, no matter how hard it becomes, it's _always_ harder on Jun. We can't be selfish."

"Don't get mad at him, Jihoon, I'm the one being selfish after all. I keep putting off work here to continue acting work, I barely manage to keep personal promises with any of you, at this point it doesn't even feel like I should be living here." Junhui defended Soonyoung with a weak voice, patting Jihoon's arm in a not-so-reassuring manner.

The group broke into chaos as the members rushed forward, spewing every word of encouragement they could think of, attempting to comfort Junhui by hugging him, telling him it would be fine, but the panic only spread.

Finally, Seungcheol called for attention and told the members to head outside where a bus was waiting for them. The group looked at their leader with confusion. They hadn't heard about anything being scheduled this afternoon, what was going on?

Nonetheless, they did as they were told and filed into the bus.

Still in a confused state, Seungcheol herded the members out as the bus came to a full stop after a while. Cold air blew into the members' faces, a cold, familiar, salty air.

"Oh, god..." Chan murmured as a beach came to view.

"Welcome back to Sokcho, kids. Now, first things first." Without warning, Seungcheol lifted Junhui up and raced down towards the sea, tossing the latter straight into the waves without giving him so much as a second to blink. "How dare you neglect us to pursue your acting career."

Cold and shivering, his voice taken away by the strong salty taste of sea water, Junhui stared at Seungcheol from his spot in the water, not even daring to move when the waves crashed straight into his head. He remembered that they had promised to come back here if anyone changes, and toss them into the sea. He was finally receiving his divine punishment...

"Also..." Seungcheol hurled himself into the water, re-emerging next to Junhui, shaking cold droplets out of his hair, "What is a leader who can't take control of his team member when they're having a mental breakdown?"

Another splash was heard, and Junhui turned to see Wonwoo also in a sorry wet shivering state, "What is a best friend who can't sense his buddy's pain?"

Soonyoung, "How can I call myself your strongest ally when I said something so careless?"

One by one, the members all jumped into the water, even the ones who couldn't swim (supervised under the sharp eyes of Seungcheol, of course).

"How can I call myself an angel when you're in Hell?" Jeonghan surprisingly was one of the first to jump.

"I can't call myself your hyung if I can't take responsibility for you." Jisoo said through chattering teeth.

"How can I call myself SVT's happy virus when I can't cheer you up?" Seokmin smiled, brushing water out of his eyes.

"I still haven't repaid you for being there for me when I was alone." Minghao grinned widely, paddling over to Junhui.

"How could I feel happy when you're not? I'm sorry for being dense." Mingyu sighed, looping an arm around Junhui's shoulders and pulling him into a brief hug.

"What is a maknae who can't support his hyungs in their darkest moments?" Chan stood in the more shallow part of the water with the help of Mingyu and Seungcheol.

"I can't call myself your close friend if I can't even get you to talk to me about your worries." Hansol smiled, splashing water in Junhui's face playfully.

"I've failed as your supporter if I couldn't get you to feel good about yourself." Seungkwan said while shivering, but refused to budge from the cold water.

_"What is a team who can't help even one of their members?"_

"We're not just a team, we're family." Jihoon, the only one who wasn't completely soaked whispered, reaching out a hand to touch Junhui's cheek as the latter came forward towards him. "And what is a family if they can't still have a blast after a fight?" After a pause, Jihoon drew back his hand and looked at the sand near his feet, "...I'm so ashamed that I can't even call myself your lover."

"That's not a good enough excuse, Jihoon, you're coming in!" Junhui smirked, lifting Jihoon off his feet and dropping him into the water mercilessly.

Far from getting angry, Jihoon quickly collected himself, a smile on his face as he shoved Junhui backwards into the water. Just like that, the thirteen boys began a large scale water tag with no boundaries, aside from those who couldn't swim, they kind of just stood on the side and cheered. Nonetheless, everyone had fun.

As the sky grew darker, they sat around a campfire just like one year ago, waiting for their clothes to dry. Seungcheol even prepared little candles for each member to hold, earning rounds of applause from the others.

"So are we doing the candlelight talk again?" Seokmin laughed, looking at the flames waving gently on the tip of each candle.

"Let's do it!" Seungkwan shouted energetically as the circle parroted him. "Let me start, first of all, I think this accident allowed us to grow closer-"

"Get out of here!" Hansol laughed, pressing Seungkwan back down into his seat.

"Why don't you start, Jun?" Jeonghan prompted, nudging him gently.

Junhui blinked, he expected to be called out, but he really didn't have anything planned thanks to the adrenaline rush from earlier. "I, well... I have something to confess. I'm a little mad that you guys made me miss that audition this afternoon-"

"Sorry..." He almost let out a laugh at how in sync the others were even outside of work.

"But I'm glad we did this."

Smiles quickly appeared all around the circle at this, nods of agreement were also made.

"My turn. Jun, I just want you to know that if things ever get hard, even just a little, you can always tell me. I'm here for you to lean on." Seungcheol said, leaning over to touch his candle to Junhui's in a kind of ceremonious way.

"We're _all_ here for you to lean on." Jihoon added, putting his arm around Junhui's shoulder, murmurs of agreement rang around the circle.

"I'd also like to make it clear that I didn't mean to say those things earlier today, but I'm not going to make any excuses for my behavior." Soonyoung added sincerely, looking down at his candle.

"Don't worry, I know I'm not the only stressed out person here." Junhui smiled, reaching over to pat Soonyoung's shoulder, which transformed into a reconciliation hug as the latter stood up and pulled him closer.

"Okay, that's enough." Jihoon grumbled impatiently, pulling the two apart as the others laughed and made catcalls.

"No matter how hard it gets, I just want you to know that we believe in Moon Junhwi." Wonwoo said once everyone was seated again after the commotion.

"But don't stay silent if things get painful." Mingyu added.

"Lately the practice room has been feeling empty even when twelve members are gathered." Chan piped up, looking at Junhui with a genuine gaze, "Even with your busy schedule, I hope you come visit us more."

"That makes it sound like I'm actually leaving you, I'm not going anywhere." Junhui laughed, putting an arm around the maknae and rubbing his arm reassuringly.

"Remember that you should always have fun with what you do. If it starts to become a burden, maybe it's best if you don't do it, whatever you think is best. Also, like what the others said, us hyungs are here for you." Jisoo said, looping his arms around Jeonghan's and Seungcheol's shoulders.

"Us dongsaengs aren't going to stand still to that challenge!" Seokmin yelled as the younger members let out a battle cry.

"But seriously, you might think you're being a bother, but it's the opposite. It makes us feel like we're the ones holding you back if you don't feel comfortable opening up to us about your troubles." Minghao said, grinning warmly.

"Jeonghan, you say something, too." Seungcheol prompted.

"Hm? Well... It's okay to rest if you're tired."

"You're just reciting lyrics!"

"I mean it though!" Jeonghan laughed, giving Junhui's hand a warm squeeze.

"Hansol? What about you?" Seungkwan turned to the rapper sitting next to him.

"I just want to say that I love you, man." Hansol and Junhui shared a wide grin at each other, giving each other high-fives and an elaborated bro handshake, "In the most heterosexual way." Hansol added quickly when he felt a murderous aura coming from a certain vocalist sitting next to Junhui.

The members turned to Jihoon expectantly, the candlelight shining on their cheeks causing all of them to seemingly glow orange in the dark, "...Do I really have to do this?"

"Wow, Hansol just declared his love to Junnie-hyung, but his own boyfriend wouldn't." Seungkwan chided.

"Fine, fine, I'll do it." Jihoon rolled his eyes, turning to Junhui and looking him straight in the eyes, "This shouldn't be anything new to you since the others all said it already, but as a team, we share everything, no matter if it's joy, sadness, or even pain. Speaking as your lifetime partner, I'd also like you to let me shoulder at least half of your burdens."

"Is it just me, or did that sound like a wedding vow?" Hansol whispered to Seungkwan.

"He did call himself his lifetime partner..." Seungkwan whispered back.

Junhui smiled as Jihoon pulled him down for a kiss full on the lips, ignoring the fact that all the others were watching, or maybe it was _because_ all the others were watching.

After returning Jihoon's show of affection with a soft and appreciative kiss on the forehead, Junhui turned towards the center of the circle, "Like I said earlier, I know it's not just me who is stressful, so I don't think I should receive special treatment. As a team, we share each other's pain, so no matter who it is, if anything gets hard, we should all talk it out like this."

Seungcheol nodded, holding his candle forward towards the campfire, "With this, I propose a new pact. We need to support each other both physically and mentally. No matter what hardships you all have, the rest of us will listen, so don't be shy." He glanced towards Jihoon, "No matter if it's stress from being a producer, single-handedly compiling an album," he turned towards Soonyoung, "Getting stuck on creating the perfect choreography," Jisoo and Minghao, "Feeling homesick," he continued down the circle until he has made eye-contact with every member, "Or anything at all."

"Like being the father of twelve hyperactive children." Jeonghan quipped as the others applauded, coming forward to hold their candles over the fire as well.

"On the count of three. One... two..."

_Three._

* * *

"Jun, I have to say, you've been more confident than usual, and you have never been in better form!" The interviewer praised as the live audience cheered downstage.

"Thank you, but I still have a long way to go." Junhui replied, bowing politely.

"Is there a secret to your success as one of the most promising rookie actors of the year? Is it because you've already had experience as a child?"

"Well, there's that, but most importantly, I have support from my family-" He heard loud whoops and cheering coming from the back of the audience and turned to see twelve shadows filing into the recording space, sending a commotion through the crowd.

He smiled, "Sorry, I meant _families_."


End file.
